Shelf organization system

ABSTRACT

A shelf organization apparatus includes a first end member, a second end member and at least one elongated divider. The first end member is capable of being disposed at the front end of the shelf and engaged therewith. The second end member is capable of being disposed at the back end of the shelf and engaged therewith. A lip portion depends from the edge of each end member and is shaped so as to facilitate engagement with the shelf. At least one elongated divider is capable of being disposed between the first end member and the second end member so as to be capable of separating the shelf into separate portions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to shelf organization systems and, morespecifically, to a system that facilitates reconfiguration of shelforganization systems.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Many mass-marketing stores, such as large home improvement stores,display items for sale on industrial shelving. Some shelving systemsemploy simply flat wooden or metal shelves upon which the items beingsold are displayed. The merchant employing a shelving system usuallydisplays the price of the items on the shelf at the front of the shelfusing a detachable bracket. Items on the shelf frequently slide off ofthe shelf unless an additional lip is affixed to the front edge of theshelf.

Typical shelving systems include rigid dividers used to separate itemsof different types. Once set, such dividers may be difficult toreconfigure when an item of one size replaces an item of a differentsize on a shelf.

Fire codes in many locations require shelving systems in which theshelves have a plurality of holes passing there through. This ensuresthat water from a sprinkler system will not be blocked from reachinglower shelves by upper shelves. For this reason, wire grid-type shelvesare being used increasingly in sales and warehouse settings. However,wire grid-type shelves do not lend themselves to the easy placement ofdividers or shelf-edge lips.

Therefore, there is a need for wire grid-type shelving system thatemploys an easy to reconfigure divider and end piece system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present inventionwhich, in one aspect, is a shelf organization apparatus for use with awire grid-type shelf that includes a front end and an opposite back end,a plurality of spaced-apart longitudinal rods and a plurality ofspaced-apart latitudinal rods transverse and secured to the longitudinalrods. The shelf organization apparatus includes a first end member, asecond end member and at least one elongated divider. The first endmember is capable of being disposed at the front end of the shelf andengaged therewith. The second end member is capable of being disposed atthe back end of the shelf and engaged therewith. Each end memberincludes a planar portion, a lip portion and a raised portion. Theplanar portion has a first planar portion end, an opposite second planarportion end, a first planar portion edge and an opposite second planarportion edge. A lip portion depends from the first planar portion edgeand a lip depends from the second planar portion edge. Each lip portionis shaped so as to facilitate engagement with at least one of thelongitudinal rods. The raised portion extends upwardly from the firstplanar portion end. The elongated divider is capable of being disposedbetween the first end member and the second end member so as to becapable of separating the shelf into separate portions.

In another aspect, the invention is a shelf end apparatus for use with awire grid-type shelf that includes a front end and an opposite back end,a plurality of spaced-apart longitudinal rods and a plurality ofspaced-apart latitudinal rods transverse and secured to the longitudinalrods. The end apparatus includes a planar portion, two lip portions anda raised portion. The planar portion has a first planar portion end, anopposite second planar portion end, a first planar portion edge and anopposite second planar portion edge. A lip portion extends from thefirst planar portion edge and a lip extends from the second planarportion edge. Each lip portion is shaped so as to facilitate engagementwith at least one of the longitudinal rods. The raised portion extendsupwardly from the first planar portion end.

In another aspect, the invention is a shelving system that includes awire grid-type shelf. The wire grid-type shelf includes a front end, anopposite back end, a plurality of spaced-apart longitudinal rods and aplurality of spaced-apart latitudinal rods transverse and secured to thelongitudinal rods. A first end apparatus is disposed at the front endand is removably engageable with the wire grid-type shelf. An elongateddivider extends from the first end apparatus substantially adjacent tothe back end. The elongated divider includes a raised portion of aheight sufficient so that items placed on the shelf are confined to aselected one of two shelf portions.

In yet another aspect, the invention is a method of organizing a wiregrid-type shelf of a type that includes a front end, an opposite backend, a plurality of spaced-apart longitudinal rods and a plurality ofspaced-apart latitudinal rods transverse and secured to the longitudinalrods. A first end member is placed adjacent the front end so that thefirst end member engages at least one of the rods of the shelf. A secondend member is placed adjacent the back end so that the back end memberengages at least one of the rods of the shelf. An elongated divider isplaced between the first end member and the second end member so thatthe divider separates a first portion of the shelf from a second portionof the shelf. The elongated divider is secured to at least one of thefirst end member and the second end member with an adhesive member.

These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunctionwith the following drawings. As would be obvious to one skilled in theart, many variations and modifications of the invention may be effectedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of thedisclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top front perspective view of one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a top front perspective view of an end member employed in theembodiment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A is a top plan view of a divider member employed in theembodiment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the divider member shown in FIG.3A, taken along line 3B-3B FIG. 4A is a top plan view of an end memberemployed in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the end member shown in FIG. 4A,taken along line 4B-4B.

FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of the end member shown in FIG. 4A,taken along line 4C-4C.

FIG. 4D is a front elevational view of the end member shown in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5A is a top plan view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5B is a top plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the invention in use.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of a gravity feed embodiment of theinvention

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of an endmember.

FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of an endmember.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a shelf end safety apparatus mounted ona wire grid shelf.

FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view of a shelf end safety apparatusmounted on a wood shelf.

FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of a shelf end safety apparatusmounted on a sheet metal shelf.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of the invention is now described in detail.Referring to the drawings, like numbers indicate like parts throughoutthe views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims,the following terms take the meanings explicitly associated herein,unless the context clearly dictates otherwise: the meaning of “a,” “an,”and “the” includes plural reference, the meaning of “in” includes “in”and “on.”

As shown in FIG. 1, a shelving system 100, according to one illustrativeembodiment of the invention, includes a wire grid-type shelf 102 thathas a front end 104 and an opposite back end 106, a plurality ofspaced-apart longitudinal rods 108 and a plurality of spaced-apartlatitudinal rods 110 that are transverse and secured to the longitudinalrods 108. A first end member 120 a is disposed at the front end 104 ofthe shelf 102 and engaged therewith. Similarly, a second end member 120b is disposed at the back end 106 of the shelf 102 and is also engagedtherewith.

An elongated divider 150 is disposed between the first end member 120 aand the second end member 120 b. The elongated divider 150 separates theshelf into separate portions, into which items being displayed may beplaced.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIGS. 4A-4D, each end member 120 includes aplanar portion 124 having a first planar portion end 126, an oppositesecond planar portion end 128, a first planar portion edge 130 and anopposite second planar portion edge 132. A lip portion 138 extends fromthe first planar portion edge 130. A lip portion 138 also extends fromthe second planar portion edge 132. Each lip portion 138 issubstantially U-shaped so that it can engage a longitudinal rod 108,thereby holding the end member 120 in place. A raised portion 122extends upwardly from the first planar portion end 126. As shown in FIG.4B, the raised portion includes a vertical stop 404 extending upwardlyfrom the first planar portion end 126 and terminating a top portion 402.An angled wall 134 depends angularly downward from the top portion 402and a substantially vertical plate 136 depends downwardly from theangled wall 134. Price indicia 118 (such as stickers), as shown in FIG.1, may be placed on the angled wall 134.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the elongated divider 150 includes asubstantially flat portion 152 and a raised portion 154, such as avertical wall, that extends upwardly from the flat portion 152. The flatportion 152 of the elongated divider 150 is affixed to both the firstend member 120 a and the second end member 120 b using, for example,two-sided tape 156. As will be readily appreciated, other means ofaffixing the divider 150 to the planar portion 124 of the end members120 may also be employed without departing from the scope of theinvention, including using adhesives and fasteners. The raised portion154 is high enough to guide items placed on the shelf 102 in a selectedone of two shelf portions.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, a center support member 160 may be placedon the shelf 102 so that it is transverse to the longitudinal rods 108and under the elongated divider 150. The center support member 160 couldbe made from sheet plastic that has a lip 162 formed at each end. Thecenter support member 160 provides support to the elongated divider 150.Typically, the end members 120, the divider member 150 and the centersupport member 160 may be made of a plastic, such as by vacuum formingor through another heat forming process. However, other materials, suchas sheet metal, could be used to make some or all of the parts forcertain applications.

Boxes 170, and other items, may be loaded onto the shelving system 100as shown in FIG. 6. The dividers 150 may be positioned to form channelsof widths to correspond to the widths of the boxes being loaded onto theshelf 102. A gravity feed configuration 101 is show in FIG. 7. In such aconfiguration 101, the shelf 102 is simply tipped at an angle to allowthe boxes 170 to slide to the front. This embodiment provides asignificant safety feature, in that the end member 120 a prevents boxes170 from sliding off of the shelf unless the box is lifted off of theshelf.

Alternate configurations of end pieces are shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. Asimple up-turned raised portion 222 is shown in FIG. 8A, while a simpleangled raised portion 322 is shown in FIG. 8B. These configurationsmight be less expensive and easier to make than the configuration shownin FIG. 4B, but they might not have as much strength. Use of a singleend piece 120, acting as a shelf end safety apparatus, with a grid shelf102 is shown in FIG. 9. This embodiment provides the safety feature ofinhibiting an item being removed from the shelf without the item beingintentionally lifted above the raised portion. This embodiment can helpprevent injuries as a result of someone (such as a child) sliding aheavy object off of the shelf. This configuration is also useful whendividers and a back end piece are not necessary.

As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, a shelf end safety apparatus 900 for usewith a wood shelf 902 or other type of shelf 904 (such as a sheet metalshelf, a plastic shelf, or other commonly used type of shelf) can bemade similarly to the end member 120 discussed above. Such a shelf endsafety apparatus 900 includes a planar portion 910 and a raised portion920. The shelf end safety apparatus 900 could be attached to the shelfusing one of a plurality of mechanisms, including: screws 930, adhesives932, pop rivets, bolts, cotter pins, two-sided tape and any one of manyother fasteners and attaching mechanisms commonly known in the art. Theraised portion 920 should be of sufficient strength to hold items on theshelf. The strength of the raised portion 920 can be enhanced byfastening the vertical plate 136 to the shelf.

The above described embodiments are given as illustrative examples only.It will be readily appreciated that many deviations may be made from thespecific embodiments disclosed in this specification without departingfrom the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to bedetermined by the claims below rather than being limited to thespecifically described embodiments above.

1. A shelf organization apparatus, for use with a wire grid-type shelfthat includes a front end and an opposite back end, a plurality ofspaced-apart longitudinal rods and a plurality of spaced-apartlatitudinal rods transverse and secured to the longitudinal rods, theshelf organization apparatus comprising: a. a first end member and asecond end member, the first end member capable of being disposed at thefront end of the shelf and engaged therewith, the second end membercapable of being disposed at the back end of the shelf and engagedtherewith, each end member including: i. a planar portion having a firstplanar portion end, an opposite second planar portion end, a firstplanar portion edge and an opposite second planar portion edge; ii. alip portion extending from each of the first planar portion edge and thesecond planar portion edge, each lip portion being shaped so as tofacilitate engagement with at least one of the longitudinal rods; andiii. a raised portion extending upwardly from the first planar portionend; and b. at least one elongated divider capable of being disposedbetween the first end member and the second end member so as to becapable of separating the shelf into separate portions.
 2. The shelforganization apparatus of claim 1, wherein the elongated dividercomprises: a. a substantially flat portion; and b. a vertical wallextending upwardly from the flat portion.
 3. The shelf organizationapparatus of claim 2, wherein the substantially flat portion of theelongated divider is affixed to both the first end member and the secondend member.
 4. The shelf organization apparatus of claim 2, wherein thesubstantially flat portion of the elongated divider is affixed to boththe first end member and the second end member with two-sided tape. 5.The shelf organization apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a centersupport member disposed on the shelf transverse to the longitudinal rodsand under the elongated divider so as to provide support to theelongated divider.
 6. The shelf organization apparatus of claim 1,wherein the first end member and the second end member both comprised aplastic.
 7. The shelf organization apparatus of claim 1, wherein thefirst end member and the second end member both comprised a metal. 8.The shelf organization apparatus of claim 1, wherein the raised portioncomprises: a. a vertical stop extending upwardly from the first planarportion end and terminating a top portion; b. an angled wall dependingangularly downward from the top portion; and c. a substantially verticalplate depending downwardly from the angled wall.
 9. A shelf endapparatus for use with a wire grid-type shelf that includes a front endand an opposite back end, a plurality of spaced-apart longitudinal rodsand a plurality of spaced-apart latitudinal rods transverse and securedto the longitudinal rods, the shelf end apparatus comprising: a. aplanar portion having a first planar portion end, an opposite secondplanar portion end, a first planar portion edge and an opposite secondplanar portion edge; b. a lip portion extending from of the first planarportion edge and a lip portion extending from the second planar portionedge, each lip portion being shaped so as to facilitate engagement withat least one of the longitudinal rods; and c. a raised portion extendingupwardly from the first planar portion end.
 10. The shelf end apparatusof claim 9, wherein the lip portion depends downwardly and has asubstantially curved shape that is capable of engaging a rod.
 11. Ashelf end safety apparatus for use with shelf for supporting an itemthat includes a front end and an opposite back end, the shelf end safetyapparatus comprising: a. a planar portion having a first planar portionend, an opposite second planar portion end, a first planar portion edgeand an opposite second planar portion edge, the planar portion includingan attachment mechanism that facilitates attaching the planar portion tothe end of the shelf; b. a raised portion extending upwardly from thefirst planar portion end, the raised portion having a strengthsufficient to inhibit removal of the item unless the item is lifted offof the shelf; and c. an attachment mechanism that attaches at least oneof the planar portion and the raised portion to the shelf.
 12. The shelfend safety apparatus of claim 11, wherein the attachment mechanism isselected from a group consisting essentially of: screws, nails, bolts,rivets, cotter pins, fasteners, two-sided tapes, adhesives, andcombinations thereof.
 13. A shelving system, comprising: a. a wiregrid-type shelf that includes a front end, an opposite back end, aplurality of spaced-apart longitudinal rods and a plurality ofspaced-apart latitudinal rods transverse and secured to the longitudinalrods; b. a first end apparatus disposed at the front end and removablyengageable with the wire grid-type shelf; and c. an elongated divider,extending from the first end apparatus substantially adjacent to theback end, that includes a raised portion of a height sufficient so thatitems placed on the shelf are confined to a selected one of two shelfportions.
 14. The shelving system of claim 13, wherein the first endapparatus comprises: a. a planar portion having a first planar portionend, an opposite second planar portion end, a first planar portion edgeand an opposite second planar portion edge; b. a lip portion extendingfrom of the first planar portion edge and a lip portion extending fromthe second planar portion edge, each lip portion being shaped so as tofacilitate engagement with at least one of the longitudinal rods; and c.a raised portion extending upwardly from the first planar portion end.15. The shelving system of claim 13, further comprising a second endapparatus disposed at the back end and removably engageable with thewire grid-type shelf, the second end apparatus comprising: a. a planarportion having a first planar portion end, an opposite second planarportion end, a first planar portion edge and an opposite second planarportion edge; b. a lip portion extending from of the first planarportion edge and a lip portion extending from the second planar portionedge, each lip portion being shaped so as to facilitate engagement withat least one of the longitudinal rods; and c. a raised portion extendingupwardly from the first planar portion end, the elongated dividerextending from the first end member to the second end member and affixedthereto with an adhesive member.
 16. The shelving system of claim 15,wherein the raised portion comprises: a. a vertical stop extendingupwardly from the first planar portion end and terminating a topportion; b. an angled wall depending angularly downward from the tonportion; and c. a substantially vertical plate depending downwardly fromthe angled wall.
 17. The shelving system of claim 15, wherein theadhesive member comprises two-sided tape.
 18. The shelf organizationapparatus of claim 13, wherein the elongated divider comprises: a. asubstantially flat portion; and b. a vertical wall extending upwardlyfrom the flat portion.
 19. The shelf organization apparatus of claim 13,further comprising a center support member disposed on the shelftransverse to the longitudinal rods and under the elongated divider soas to provide support to the elongated divider.
 20. A method oforganizing a wire grid-type shelf of a type that includes a front end,an opposite back end, a plurality of spaced-apart longitudinal rods anda plurality of spaced-apart latitudinal rods transverse and secured tothe longitudinal rods, the method comprising the steps of: a. placing afirst end member adjacent the front end so that the first end memberengages at least one of the rods of the shelf; b. placing a second endmember adjacent the back end so that the back end member engages atleast one of the rods of the shelf; c. placing an elongated dividerbetween the first end member and the second end member so that thedivider separates a first portion of the shelf from a second portion ofthe shelf; and d. securing the elongated divider to at least one of thefirst end member and the second end member with and adhesive member.